Blue Forget Me Nots and Periwinkles were blooming. It almost looked as though they could have been dipped in the sea and dried in the sky. Aiden's rooftop garden was alive with the aroma of red Penta's and Petunia's. Marigold's and Daisies captured the colour of the sun in their petals. African Iris' stemmed from the fresh fertilised beds and purple agapanthus' completed the rainbow that I could touch, tend to and nurture.

The sun was in full force. No surprises there. August was one of the hottest months for Florida. But that didn't stop me from spending time up in this sanctuary that Aiden allowed me total access and free reign over. It had been a couple of days since the incident at the grocers when we ran into Don. We planned on leaving for a vacation this afternoon. He just needed to make sure business was in order before we went. I had no idea where we were going. Aiden said that it was his turn to surprise me.

Zoerina still hadn't warmed to our house guest. She was hostile and told me whenever she could that she didn't trust her, despite not remembering how she knew her. It was making her a bit irrational I thought. But I didn't chastise her for being 'concerned'. I had been the same. Deep down, it was still there. But it was deep. Deep down. I was being paranoid, I had to be.

Emma seemed nice. She hung around me a lot. I think that was a form of avoiding Zoerina. Because if Zoerina was spending time with me, then Emma was no where to be found. At one point, Zoerina had been on the rooftop, I was gardening, she was having a cigarette, and Emma appeared at the door. She assessed the scene for one brief moment and then she scampered off downstairs. Aiden had told his sister multiple times to ease up. But I had a feeling that Zoerina didn't care.

Well, I knew that she didn't care. She was vocal about it.

The pile of leaves and small weeds were growing beside me as I sat by the raised garden bed a few meters from the rooftop access. There were six large garden beds. All of them but one were blossoming beautiful flowers. The garden beds were shaped around the narrow tiled footpaths and surrounded the gazebo and small outdoor kitchen. The gazebo wasn't small. It comfortably fit several couches and a picnic table. At night the fairy lights that were wrapped around the gazebo posts were magical.

Sweat beads formed on my forehead and my hand swiped at the perspire before I continued clipping back the overgrown stems. The bruising on my face was diminishing. It was a faded yellow now. I just looked rather sick instead of beaten. Which I preferred.

Aiden and I still hadn't had sex again. There was an almost irrational fear of pain holding me back. But I'd healed down there. It no longer hurt to pee and the STD tests had come back clear. So it was upsetting that the thought of being touched terrified me.

Aiden hadn't even attempted to initiate sex though. He just held me against him each night. He rubbed my back or ran his hands through my hair. I'd never known comfort like that in another person before. The nightmares were still vivid. He still visited me whenever I closed my eyes. But whenever I startled awake in the night and felt Aiden's warm chest against my back, his arm draped across my middle like a shield and saw the stars in the night just outside of his window, I was able to breathe. I could settle again. I felt safe.

The sound of the metal rooftop access door closing made me jump and I peered over my shoulder and saw a woman standing beside it with a handful of seedling packets. Her brows furrowed for a moment as she watched me and all I could do was stare at her. She was beautiful. Her deep hazel gaze fixed on me as her plump lips curled upwards in a curious smile. Her flawless skin was even darker than Aiden and Zoerina's. She wore a long skirt to the ground, the belt accentuated her wide hips and shaped waist. The shoestring strapped tank top was a floral design and worked well with the white skirt. Raven coloured braids fell half way down her back.

She began to walk forward as she pointed at the empty garden bed. "Pumpkins and watermelons are good August plants. But the garden bed is too small," she waved the packets in her hand. "Broccoli, beans and cucumbers are a winner."

"Oh," I smiled as I stood up and dusted my leggings free of dust. "I love home grown beans."

"Me too," the woman stopped in front of me and I marvelled at her complexion. Her skin was so flawless. Her cheeks looked like silk and once again with this family, I had to fight the urge to caress her face. "I'm Imani. You must be Arian."

"Yeah," I smiled. "That's me. You must be Aiden's Mom? It's nice to meet you."

"You as well," she toyed with the gold pendant around her neck. A simple oval, encrusted with tiny glistening diamonds sat between her finger tips. "I've heard a lot about you. Plus I don't think that I've met a girl of Aiden's since he was in high school."

There was a good chance that the sun had left a red tinge across my nose and cheeks so I was confident that my blush wouldn't be obvious. Imani tapped the seedling packets against her palm and stepped around me with a knowing grin. "You like to garden Arian?" She questioned. I turned around to answer as she wandered over to the empty garden bed but she continued to speak. "Aiden tells me that you are an exceptional chef."

I couldn't help but wonder what else Aiden had told her about me. She no doubt had a decent portion of the story. But then I wondered if she knew about him. Did she know what her son did. I had never asked him but I had a feeling that she might have been in the dark about his second job.

"I love this garden," I stood behind her as she knelt down and began digging out little holes for her seedlings. "It's beautiful. Aiden said that you did all of this. I hope you don't mind me maintaining it?"

"Of course not," she peered up at me, squinting at the sun. "I can't come and tend to it as often as I'd like. It's a relief to know that it's in good hands."

"You're in architecture, right?" I knelt beside her and helped with the holes that she was creating.

"I am. I do a bit of landscaping as well. I own the business but I'm hands on. I work full time. It keeps me busy."

I realised that it was Sunday. Without working, the days sort of just rolled into each other. We continued to chit chat while we shifted soil and tipped seedlings into sectioned areas. Imani was full of information. She knew what seasons were best to plant what vegetables and flowers. She could list all of the best nutrients to feed them in which seasons. She knew the best fertilisers to use and the best potting mix and where to get it.

I listened to her talk and asked questions until we were patting the soil back down on top of the planted seedlings. Our hands were thick with rich damp dirt but I smiled as I brushed it off. I loved flowers. I loved the magical effect that came with a beautiful garden. But there was a lot that I could learn.

The door opened and closed again and when I glanced backwards, I saw Zoerina approaching with a cigarette between her lips and confusion etched in her features. "Mom?"

Imani turned around and while she seemed to have a constant calm and neutral expression, I did see the slightest flinch of surprise when she saw her daughter. "Hello Zoerina. I didn't realise you were back."

"You were the one in the Maldives doing shots off rock hard abs for the last month," Zoerina scoffed. She cupped her hands around her cigarette and lit it before she took a drag and pinched it between her fingers. "So, do I have a new daddy yet?"

Imani rolled her eyes with a subtle smile as she stood up. "Yes actually. His name is Hernandez. He wants to be called Papa."

"I prefer Papi."

I stood up as well and wondered if I should discreetly leave to let them catch up or if I should announce my departure and thank Imani for her advice. It was a difficult decision but remaining discreet wasn't an option when Zoerina laughed at me, running her manicured fingers through her blonde hair. "Relax Arian. We're kidding."

"It's so hard to tell," I mumbled with amusement.

Zoerina exhaled a cloud of nicotine and flicked the waist band of her gym shorts. "So what are you doing here Mom?"

"Well I just got back from the small vacation that I took and I figured I would come and meet Arian and check on the garden—"

"Arian looks after the garden," Zoerina interrupted. "And she cooks. She's my new Mommy."

"Good, well don't ask me for cash. I'll be the first to sign the adoption papers."

"Sweet."

"Where's your brother?"

"He's downstairs with Po. I was supposed to be telling Arian that he's about good to go to the airport," Zoerina turned to face me. "So this is me letting you know that Aiden is wanting to head to the airport soon."

"Thanks," I laughed but I made it about two steps when Aiden appeared from behind the gazebo and wandered towards us with the same amount of confusion that we'd all felt at one point or another so far.

"Hey Mom?" He stopped beside Zoerina and folded his arms as he glanced between his mother and I. "I didn't realise you were here. I wanted to introduce you to Arian."

"Oh we met," Imani nodded and laced her fingers together in front of her. "We planted some vegetables and had a chat."

Aiden smiled and I darted over to his side, letting him wrap his strong bare arm around me. He was in vacation mode and we hadn't even left. His chinos and black fitted V neck t shirt complimented his perfect figure and I couldn't be more excited to get out of town with him.

"We have to get going Mom," Aiden told her as he closed the space between them and gave her a quick hug. She seemed a little stiff, like the hug was one sided. But he didn't seem to mind. He re established his hold around me afterward. "But if you don't mind, can you pop in as often as possible. Just to check on things."

"I can handle it," Zoerina glared as she dragged on her stick. The next sentence came out accompanied by a cloud of smoke. "It's not difficult to house sit."

"Yeah well, you'll be in charge of a young teenager. One which you don't even like. Forgive me for being nervous."

"Young teenager?" Imani questioned with a raised brow.

Zoerina tsked. "She didn't know I was back. She doesn't know about Emma. You guys talk all the time. What do you fill her in on?"

"Me," Aiden gave me a gentle squeeze and I understood how she knew so much about me. My heart fluttered with the understanding that I was such a central topic for him to focus on.

"I can pop in as often as needed," Imani nodded and began to shoo us towards the door. "Zoerina can fill me in on the young teenager. Go so that you don't miss the flight!"

Aiden laced his fingers with mine and held the door open for me. "Thanks Mom. Talk later. Zoerina, I'll call!"

"Of course! Bye Arian!"

"Bye!"

The rest of the afternoon was a whirlwind. I changed into a pale blue sundress that was made of sheer material and a pair of flip flops. We arrived at the airport an hour later and without being able to hide it another moment longer, Aiden revealed that we were spending two weeks in the Bahamas. The mere thought of it had my stomach doing somersaults. It didn't seem real. He'd told me to pack for a beach location but this exceeded my wildest imagination. We flew first class. Champagne was served, the meals were perfection and the seats were so wide and comfortable that I curled up beside Aiden while we watched the newest Avengers movie.

Idris Elbas character at the start of the movie reminded me of Imani - not the masculinity, just the hair - and I smiled. "I like your Mom," I told Aiden. He had his arm around me, his thumb making soft circles against my skin while I laid snuggled on his chest.

"I was hoping that I would get to fill you in on her more before you met," he chuckled. "She's— a little different."

"How?"

He sighed. "Mom is great. She taught me how to run an efficient house hold. How to grow flowers. How to tastefully design a home. But she sort of skipped over that maternal side of things. She doesn't do hugs. She's not affectionate. She can joke around and all. But ya know. You probably noticed that she's a little indifferent."

"I suppose," I nodded, my fingers grazing his firm chest. His soft t shirt was smooth under my hand. "Was it hard having a Mom like that?"

"I was used to it for the most part," he said. "Dad did a lot of the hugging and I love yous. I didn't notice that Mom was unusual until I began to see other kids with their Moms. But I managed. I think it got to Zee the worst. Especially after Dad died and she continued to relapse. I think that Zee just needed her Mom to hug her and hold her. But Mom wouldn't do it."

Thinking about how often I needed a hug from Mom when I was hurting, I couldn't imagine her refusing to hold me. She'd held me together more than once and it was more than once that I'd needed her since she died. Being refused such a nurturing action from someone who was meant to care and protect, was unfathomable.

"It's put a barrier up between them," he continued with a sad voice. "I think Zee resents her for it and Mom resents Zee for all the drug use and refusal to do something with her life. Which I get. It'd be hard to watch your child go through that. But she could have done more to help Zee. She dished out for the hospitals and rehab. But she wasn't there. Not like she needed to be."

"Right," I nodded, feeling thoughtful. "Does your Mom know? About your second job."

"Na," I could feel him shaking his head. "She wouldn't understand and she wouldn't cope. She doesn't need to know."

"Hopefully she doesn't stumble across it on accident."

"Mom doesn't snoop. Unlike some people," he gave me a subtle pinch in the side and I giggled.

"Can't regret it now. Because here we are."

"Agreed," he held me tighter. "Looking forward to it?"

"Two weeks in the Bahamas with a beautiful man?" I sighed with satisfaction. "Looking forward to it is an understatement.

____

If there's mistakes, so sorry. It's midnight. I'm dead.